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5. INTERPOL-USNCB Requests For Enforcement Assistance Or Information

Before the INTERPOL-USNCB may respond to a request for law enforcement assistance, all requests must include the type of offense and certain other information to reflect that it is a specific criminal investigation, including the type of criminal investigation or other law enforcement purpose, and the relationship of the subject to the investigation. Specific criteria has been developed regarding the handling of investigative matters. Prior to opening a case, all incoming documents are reviewed by the Assistant Chief or Unit Supervisor for compliance with INTERPOL-USNCB and INTERPOL regulations as well as Department of Justice regulations and U.S. federal laws. All requests for information must meet the following criteria before responding:

The request must come from a legitimate domestic law enforcement agency or an INTERPOL member country;

All requests must be to or from an INTERPOL member country, or a federal, state or local law enforcement agency;

It must be an international investigation;

The crime, if it had occurred within the United States, must be considered a violation of U.S. federal or state laws, as well as a crime in the country involved;

The request must not violate the accepted interpretation of Article 3 of the INTERPOL Constitution which prohibits involvement in matters of religious, military, political or racial nature;

There must be a link between the crime and the subject of the investigation. The person or property must be suspected of specific criminal involvement; and

The reason for the request must be clearly stated, indicating the type of investigation, and the fullest possible identifying details of the subject. If this information is not stated, the requestor is contacted for additional information, including the type of offenses, dates, charges, arrests, convictions, etc.

Requests for law enforcement information from the INTERPOL-USNCB must be made in writing. Although the INTERPOL-USNCB may accept an initial request by telephone in urgent cases only, the information cannot be released until the INTERPOL-USNCB has received a written copy of the request.

To facilitate the handling of an investigative request for information, the following information regarding an individual subject should be supplied whenever available: the subject's full name, including first, middle and last; the subject's date of birth; the subject's place of birth; the subject's parents' name; the subject's nationality, and passport number; the subject's previous address in the foreign country concerned; the subject's photographs and fingerprints; other personal identifiers, including both personal identifier numbers and physical characteristics and markings.

Requests for investigative assistance may be directed to the INTERPOL-USNCB by means of the following communications and telecommunications channels: